


Sparkle and Shine Blue Star

by karovie, knifeboye



Series: Blue Wonders [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13154667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karovie/pseuds/karovie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/knifeboye/pseuds/knifeboye
Summary: Keith tries to find a way to cheer Lance up.





	Sparkle and Shine Blue Star

**Author's Note:**

> Message from Karovie:  
> Hello guys! Happy Holidays! if you celebrate or not, I really hope you have a good time! I'm sorry it took so long for us to update this series, but we have been working on another part for this series that's pretty big. We decided we needed at least one one-shot between the last fic and the one we're working on now, so here you go! We are both pretty busy people these days, so things will unfortunately go a bit slow. But we're doing our best and we hope you enjoy our work! See ya!

Keith was terrible at gift-giving.

To be fair, he’d never really had anyone to give gifts to. Having to change this was one of the small inconveniences that came with relinquishing his “lone wolf” role and finding a family to be a part of.

He’d always had Shiro. But the circumstances were different, and there was never an opportunity to give him a nice warm “hey, thanks for keeping me off the streets and away from a long life of delinquency, here’s a gift card to Target”. 

Keith digressed- the act of giving a gift wasn’t completely the problem in this situation.

It was the person he wanted to give something to.

How does one get a gift for someone they care about who may or may not have been held captive for days by a psychopathic purple alien with a kill streak?

Lance hadn’t smiled in days.

Well, he had. Not real ones, though. Not the ones that would light up his eyes- the ones that were so wide that it showed his teeth and that cute wrinkle that cradled only his left eye for some reason.

The point was: Lance was definitely not doing okay.

Keith had tried to talk to him. Really, he had. 

Well… sort of. If trying included an awkward two minute conversation that was mostly Lance insisting he was fine, and Keith apologizing for bringing it up at all once he saw those blue eyes go glassy. 

He’d tried in other ways, too. Ways that didn’t include… well, talking.

He’d sparred with Lance- taught him to use a sword with some staffs Allura kept in the castle armory. Keith normally let out his emotions through intense workouts. He found it to be therapeutic, in a way. It just felt good to hit something once in a while.

Lance was doing well with it. It seemed to work, too. They had been going for a good while before everything went wrong.

Keith had jabbed his staff at Lance, and something flashed in those wide blue eyes. A raw, horrible panic.

Lance had summoned an outrageous amount of strength, and knocked Keith down to the floor, slamming him down onto his back where his head met the floor with a crack.

Maybe it was his Galra genes, but Keith had been completely fine. A little dazed, yeah, but it wasn’t anything terrible.

Lance turned into a mess though, shaking with adrenaline as he dropped to his knees and helped Keith up, stammering out apologies so fast it was a blur, and his voice was loud with fear.

Keith tried to assure Lance that it was okay- wanted to crack a joke about Lance’s technique, but before he could even think to Lance had gotten up and rushed out of the room.

He’d locked himself in Hunk’s room and didn’t leave for the rest of the night. Hunk had come out after an hour, giving Keith a weary smile and telling him Lance would be okay.

But would he be?

Things would never be normal, again. Keith knew that. The Lance he knew before was gone. There was no getting him back- not anymore. 

But that didn’t mean Keith would abandon his friend.

A sharp pain brought him back to what he was doing, and Keith glared at the offending needle that had pricked his finger. It took far more effort and time to sew a simple towel than Keith had planned. He thought he just had to cut up some fabric and call it a day. But no. Apparently, towels are a lot more work. It involved sewing- something Keith was luckily experienced with. He grumbled as he continued sewing closed the edges of the big rectangle of fabric in his lap.

He really was lucky the Ipoths that they'd saved were traders. This must have been the softest fabric Keith had ever felt- and it was a warm red that reminded Keith of Autumn back on Earth. Not to mention its usefulness- it was durable and soaked up moisture really well, and Keith decided that since Lance loved working on his skin care routine, a nice _soft_ towel (the ones Altean's used were horribly rough for some reason) would be a perfect gift. 

Once Keith finished his sewing and observed his work, he frowned. Something was missing. It wasn't right just yet- it needed something more special.

Then an idea struck him. It would most likely take him hours, but he needed to do it.

Pulling Allura's box of threads towards him (she had given her consent towards him using it), he rummaged through it until he found a fitting blue color to go with the red fabric. He started painstakingly sewing in Lance’s name, and after a pause to think, he added a blue lion head. While Keith knew how to sew, he wasn't _incredible_ at it. But his drawing skills helped him make a somewhat decent shape on the towel. The stitches looked wonky and clumsy but it was alright enough, he supposed.

Once Keith finished, he wrapped it in paper and carefully wrote Lance’s name on it. He hesitated before deciding to change his handwriting and forgo leaving his own name on the paper.

That's another thing about gifts. Giving them to people is always awkward. Keith didn't know what to do when people thanked him- and he'd rather just relinquish any credit and let the receiver enjoy their gift.

Not to mention... what if Lance didn't like it?

Keith bit his lower lip as he stared down at the package in his hands. Taking a deep breath and gathering up some courage, he stood to peek out his door. There was no one to be seen. Perfect.

Keith walked silently down the corridor to Lance’s room. He placed the package gently on the floor just outside his door, and knocked before sprinting off down the hall to hide in a doorway.

He stood there for a long time, waiting for Lance to open his door. It took so long, Keith almost gave up. He was about to leave his hiding spot when the door to Lance’s room opened.

He didn’t look very good. He was pale, and his hair was all over the place. He looked confused as he squinted at the hall around him. He took a step back to close the door when he saw the parcel on the ground. He tilted his head a bit and stalled before stooping down to pick it up. He turned it around in his hands, seemingly looking for a name, but found none. He looked up and down the hall but upon spotting no one, he looked down at the gift once more.

Lance gently unwrapped the paper, and his eyes went wide when the towel came into view. He stroked his hand over the soft fabric, and a small genuine smile graced his features as he lifted the towel to press it against his face. He once again looked up and down the hall before stepping back into his room, a gentle grin still on his lips.

Keith was standing absolutely still, staring at Lance’s door. He’d smiled. He’d actually smiled.

He felt his face warm up as his lips quirked, a light and happy feeling fluttering about in his chest.

Keith wanted that smile to return. He would do everything in his power to ensure it. 

* * *

Lance was curled up on his bed, resting his head against the soft material of his surprise gift. It looked like it was meant to be a towel, but it was too soft for him to not use as a pillow. He felt his face fall again as he stared at the wall across from where he was lying on his bed. His body felt far too heavy, and his mind was numb. The few seconds of warmth had vanished like they had never even been there. The cold of his memories came creeping back to pierce their claws into his flesh. He could still feel Lotor’s nails pressing into his cheeks. That horrible voice slithering into his thoughts. 

He could feel the heaviness of exhaustion as he escaped the prison- the blood that ran down his leg, and how he couldn't stop thinking that he'd never be able to say bye to his family... to tell them sorry.

How he felt like he had been submerged under a dark, freezing water before that staff suddenly had come flying towards his chest. The pain….

Lance shut his eyes and dragged a hand down his face. The other gripped the towel tight.

Stop. This had to stop.

He remembered his mother’s breathing techniques. She’d taught them to him- to help him with his anxiety. She was always so patient with him- so warm....

Outer space, while cool, was not as fun as Lance thought it'd be.

He missed her. He missed his family... he missed feeling _safe_. 

He kept thinking about his mom as he took deep calming breaths. Her comforting warmth. Her soft hair and kind smile.

He burrowed further into the towel as he wrapped his blanket around him in an attempt to make his mom’s hugs more real. 

For a moment he felt more alive. And that moment was all it took for him to drift into a peaceful sleep. 

* * *

The last few days had been slightly better. Lance had been able to leave his room a bit more frequently, though he often retired pretty fast due to exhaustion.

This day was no exception. He came out of his room to join the others for lunch. It was calm and quiet around the table as they ate. Coran and Allura were off doing who knows what, leaving only the paladins and Matt at the table.

As Pidge finished her food goo, she pushed the bowl away to lean her arms on the table, but stopped mid-movement. 

“What the…” she mumbled as she put her finger on the table and lifted it up again to look at it.

“Is that _glitter?”_ Hunk gawked as he leaned over to look at Pidge’s finger, then down at the table. “Holy Quiznak, that’s glitter,” he said with wide eyes. 

Shiro seemed to choke on his goo while Keith looked on with mild disinterest. Lance stared wide eyed as he tried to figure out how glitter had made it into space. Meanwhile, Hunk was ranting.

_"Guys,_ what if it's some weird alien glitter? What if it's  _not_ glitter? What if their alien lifeforms trying to ask for our help! WAIT- what if there's a terrifying invisible alien intruder that leaves poisonous glitter in its wake!"

"Pretty sure it's just normal glitter, big guy," Lance replied with amusement.

Matt was looking on with curiosity before a huge grin crept across his face. He sat still for a moment, before reaching over to push Pidge’s finger (which she had been carefully scrutinizing) onto her cheek, barely missing her nose.

“MATT!” she screamed, the glitter making a shining streak along her face. Horror crossed her expression before she frantically tried to wipe the glitter off while her brother laughed loudly. She then pressed her palms flat against the table, rubbing them around before slapping them against Matt’s head and ruffling them furiously through his hair, leaving it filled with sparkles.

“Hey!” he called out, and before anyone could react, the both of them had bolted out the door. Pidge first, with Matt following close behind. The team laughed as the siblings vanished out the door and down the hallway, shouts and high-pitched giggling echoing through the halls.

As everyone's laughter calmed, Lance let himself smile.  

At least something good had come out of his captivity. He’d found and rescued Matt. Pidge had gotten her brother back. 

Bad things don’t happen for nothing … right?

Lance finished his goo and got up. He felt like he could do more than just basic training and eating lunch with the others, today. He put his bowl away in the kitchen and turned to see Hunk coming in to do the same. 

“Lance, buddy, do you wanna keep me company while I work?” Hunk smiled brightly as he put away his bowl. Lance smiled back.

“Yeah, I’d like that." 

Hunks eyes lit up, and the two of them left for the hangar of the yellow lion. 

* * *

Hunk chatted all the way down about his little project. He was so deep in conversation that he didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings. As they entered the hangar, Lance stopped short, grabbing onto Hunk’s shirt and gasping at the sight before him.

Hunk stopped, and stared questioningly at Lance before turning to follow his gaze. His jaw dropped. 

Yellow was shiny. 

Or rather, her nose was sparkly. 

How was that even _possible?_

“Who did this to you sunshine?!” Hunk gasped as he stepped closer. “What do you mean you don’t know?! I _knew_ there was an invisible alien afoot!”

“A giant magic robot lion doesn’t know who sparkle-fied its nose?” Lance sputtered as he realized what the lion had told his friend.

They just stared dumbfounded at the lion for another few ticks. 

“Dude, this glitter bandit is good,” Lance muttered as he looked to Hunk. 

_“PALADINS! TO THE CONTROL ROOM NOW!”_

Both Lance and Hunk jumped sky high at the ruffled voice of Allura over the comms.

They sprinted to put on their armor immediately, preparing for an attack on the castle.

Once they arrived at the same time as the other paladins, all of them out of breath, they could see Allura standing several feet from Coran who was holding the mice in his palms and looking dejected. 

“Paladins! Some kind of virus has made its way onto this ship, and it has infected both the mice and Coran!” Allura explained. She wasn’t even looking at them, only staring at Coran with fear. 

A _very_ sparkly Coran. With four _very_ sparkly mice. 

“We don’t know the consequences of this virus as of now," Allura continued, "but we do know it spreads very easily,”

Coran shifted, and glitter fell off of him to gather on the floor. Allura took a step back as if she was afraid of getting it on herself. 

“Uhm,” Pidge let out as she stared at Coran.

Allura looked over at her, and gasped. 

“Pidge! You have it too! And Matt!!” She stared at them in horror.

“Princess,” Shiro stepped forth with a calm expression. “There is nothing to worry about. This is glitter,” he added as he gestured to the victims. “It may spread like a disease and is nicknamed the herpes of the arts and crafts world, but it’s harmless,” he smiled.

“Herpes?” she questioned and looked back at Coran in curiosity and mild alarm. 

“It’s… not important…” Shiro’s face turned red as he backtracked. 

Keith spoke up.

“How did Coran get covered in it?” he asked with a frown.

Coran opened his mouth to reply but suddenly let out a loud sneeze. Glitter flew everywhere in a big cloud.

“I was folding the blankets the mice had slept in and discovered them looking like... well, _this._  And when I went to inform the princess she pointed out how I looked,” the older Altean lifted a hand to stroke his mustache. 

“There’s a glitter criminal on the lose. When I figure out who you are, I will destroy you,” Pidge swore and looked at them all in turn. 

“Yellow’s nose was covered in it and she doesn’t know who did it,” Lance supplied. 

Pidge groaned and threw her head back in the process. She stood there, squinting at the ceiling before lowering her head into her palm in defeat.

“There’s a smiley in the ceiling,” she muttered, voice muffled in her hand.

They all looked up and, sure enough, there was a sparkly smiley face in the ceiling. 

“How…?” Lance whispered as he gaped at it. “We have a genius on our hands,” he continued as he looked at Hunk in awe. His friend was looking back at him with just as much awe in his expression. 

“You might want to take a shower to try and get that off,” Pidge sighed at Coran and left the room. 

Lance realized there was no reason to wear his armor and decided it was best to get it off again. 

He went to his room to get changed and to get a small break from the others. 

Even with all the distractions, it was still exhausting to be out and about. It was nice to have a little break to himself. 

He went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He realized how sunken his face looked, and how dull his skin was. He could at least apply some moisturizer to liven it up a bit. 

Lance washed off his face with water, and reached for a towel. As his fingers came in contact with the soft fabric, he realized he’d actually put the towel in the bathroom when he’d woken up. He smiled as he looked it over once more. The wonky blue lion and the wobbly name stitched into it was very charming and screamed “home made”. It warmed Lance’s heart that someone had spent so much time on a gift for him. He patted his face dry, a smile stretching his lips.

Scooping up some moisturizer, he gently smeared it over his face and massaged it into his skin. 

He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized there was glitter on his face. 

He looked into the almost empty jar and saw that glitter had been stirred into the little cream that was left.

How the quiznak had the glitter genius managed to do that without him noticing?

He stared at his face with the glitter sparkling lightly across it... it actually kind of looked good. 

Lance grinned at the entire situation, then found himself giggling at the whole situation. It was just too completely  _bizarre_ to not laugh at.

When he gathered himself together, Lance turned to leave the bathroom. As he walked towards his bed, he found a new jar of moisturizer sitting on his bed with a neat bow around it. He figured it would have to be the glitter genius. He opened it, and sure enough, it was sealed and glitter free.

They may be using an evil weapon, but they weren’t an asshole. That was nice to know. 

Lance opened the door and was met by Keith on his way to his room. The red paladin took a look at him and chuckled.

“The glitter criminal got you too?” he asked with an amused smile. 

“Yeah- in my _moisturizer_. Can you believe it?” Lance shook his head, then gave Keith a glare as he snickered. 

“Considering the smiley in the ceiling? Yeah I can. But hey, I'm glad you're back to your skin care routine. How’s that new towel of yours?” 

Lance stared at him. How did he…? Wait. That fabric. That had been one of the fabrics they received as a gift from the Ipoths. The very fabric Keith had shown so much interest in. 

“Was that from _you?”_ Lance’s gasped. Keith hadn’t exactly been the first person to cross Lance’s mind when he’d gotten the gift.

Keith’s eyes widened and red flush colored his face in an instant. He backtracked.

“Wh-I-uhhh,” Keith stiffened up completely, like a deer caught in headlights. It only lasted for a moment however, as he suddenly bolted for his door. 

Once he stepped inside, there was an explosion of glitter and the boy froze in place. After it settled, Lance was greeted with the number one most hilarious sight.

Keith- stoic, no-nonsense Keith- covered from head to toe in sparkly glitter.

“Oh wow…” Lance breathed as he saw the shimmery dust settle in Keith’s hair and jacket where he stood shock still in the doorway. A moment later, Keith turned in place to look at him with the most embarrassed expression. 

Lance couldn’t help himself any longer. The laughter had bubbled up and was not to be stopped as it spilled over his lips. 

He had never imagined he would see _Keith_ covered in glitter. The image was just too precious and the entire situation was just absolutely hysterical. 

Why the heck had someone decided it was a good idea to do glitter pranks in a space castle? And how did they do it unnoticed? It was incredible. 

And now Keith was covered in sparkles.

This was the best thing ever. 

Lance’s laughter was loud and untamed- he snorted and clenched hard at his gut as he tried to quell himself. He was laughing so hard it brought tears to his eyes. 

Keith watched on in awe. He had wanted Lance to smile again, he just never thought it would be thanks to a sparkle-bomb. And... _wow_ that laughter was contagious.

Keith burst out laughing himself, and soon they found themselves sitting on the floor as the laughter cramps had brought them both to their knees. 

They wiped their eyes as they recovered their breaths, Lance's hand on Keith's shoulder as he supported himself. 

Silence filled the hallway after a while. It was a very comfortable silence, with them both smiling from the absurdity of the day. Lance looked up, caught eyes with Keith, and they both paused. A sly grin graced Lance's lips- his cheeks sore from all his laughter.

“I love the towel. Thanks,” Lance punched Keith’s shoulder.

“You’re welcome,” Keith sighed in defeat, looking sheepish. “It was meant to be an anonymous gift."

Lance snorted at that, and leaned against the wall. Keith followed suit.

“Do you think we’ll ever figure out who the glitter genius is?” Lance asked after a long silence. 

“Hmmm… good question. Who do you think it is?” Keith looked at him for an answer.

“I honestly don’t know. Matt maybe? But really, it could be anyone. Either way, I’m grateful for it,” Lance leaned against the wall so he could relax a bit more.

“How come?” Keith looked confused as he watched Lance’s expression. 

“It distracted me from... well everything. It made me smile and laugh... geez, I don't remember the last time I laughed. And I mean, I know it won’t magically heal me, but I just... I feel like I really can get better after this. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain,” Lance grimaced slightly. 

When he looked back to Keith, he found him watching him with a fond expression. 

“What?” Lance asked in defense.

“Nothing. I’m just glad you see a path through this,” Keith looked away as his face turned red again. 

Lance looked at him for a long time, a small smile playing at his lips. He stared at Keith for a while before moving forward, and  wiping at some glitter on his cheek, letting out an amused snort.

"Dude, that's never gonna come off."

Keith groaned, thumping his head against the wall. "I know."

"You should just resign yourself to your fate. You will forever be sparkly."

Keith hummed for a moment. "Well, you know what they say...." he droned. Lance squinted in confusion.

"What? Where are you going with--"

Keith smeared a hand over Lance's face, covering him with sparkles.

"Misery loves company."

"Oh it's  _on,_ Mullet!"

An hour later, collapsed on the couches of the lounge with a very glitter-covered team and sharing out of breath laughter, Lance couldn't help but feel... _warm._

He knew he'd be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Message from Mo:  
> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this one shot. Props to Karo, as it was her fic-baby, and definitely a great way to add some light-heartedness to this series. Also a very fun small project to work on.  
> Happy holidays, and I hope you're all doing well. Until next time!


End file.
